Nick Kyrgios laughs off suggestions he stay abstinent before matches

“There’s definitely some advantages. You fly around the world doing what you love and that’s play tennis. And if you’re good enough, some of the top players have a lot of girls as well.”

Can you imagine any of the top men in tennis uttering, or even thinking, these words? Though the sport is surely in it’s golden era on the court, it’s fairly bland off of it. There are no McEnroes or Agassis filling up the tabloid pages and that’s a shame because some off-field drama always make the on-court play a little more interesting and opens up the sport to followers who might normally not follow it.

(Getty Images)

Oh, sure, Roger Federer had his fun humblebragging ways and Rafael Nadal provides introspective press conference for which media members should start sending him bills. Novak Djokovic used to be all about having G-rated fun but then got serious and turned into the best player in the world, so you can’t really fault him for the maturation. There are a few fiery characters (Fabio Fognini and Jerzy Janowicz come to mind) and entertainers (Gael Monfils) but they’re best on the court, providing little in the way of off-court fireworks.

Enter Nick Kyrgios, the Greek-Australian tennis player, who stunned the tennis world in 2014 by defeating Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon and advancing to the quarterfinals, then backing it up at the Australian Open, reaching a career high of No. 30 just after leaving his teenage years behind. And he’s done it all while exhibiting the cockiness and bravado of youth, which is why Nick Kyrgios is a breath of fresh air in a sport that’s become as staid as its reputation.

(Reuters)

“Oh yeah. I won’t say any [names], but mate, a lot [of shenanigans go] on. What happens on tour gets around fast, so you have to be careful. That’s why I don’t mess with any tennis chicks.”

Kyrgios doesn’t appear to be an occasional flash in the pan like his similarly, um, entertaining country-mate Bernard Tomic. He became the first teenager since Roger Federer to make the quarterfinals at two Grand Slams and is two wins away from making his third at a third major. But if it happens, it won’t be because Kyrgios listens to his coach, who subscribes to the old theory about sex before a big sporting event (namely, not to have any).

I found this on FTW and wanted to share:
%link%
For more great sports stories ...
*visit For The Win: https://www.ftw.usatoday.com
*follow @ForTheWin: https://www.twitter.com/forthewin
*like FTW on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/usatodayftw